We’ve got a 10-game schedule over the next two days, including some intriguing contests in both conferences. One of the most intriguing? What Las Vegas Lights FC’s debut under new Head Coach Frank Yallop will look like. Here’s your final Morning Tea of the week.
On paper, it looks a big ask for Las Vegas Lights FC to find its way into the USL Championship Playoffs from Group B, which has seen not only Phoenix Rising FC get out to a strong start, but San Diego Loyal SC and the LA Galaxy do the same.
But in a format where almost every game is a six-pointer, Lights FC does still believe it has a chance to see postseason action for the first time in its history this year.
“We’ve got some good players; it’s about being a team, though,” new Head Coach Frank Yallop told the Las Vegas Register-Journal’s Le-Andre Fox this week. “My job is to get them on the same page.”
Certainly, Yallop’s arrival in place of Eric Wynalda cast some doubt on whether Lights FC was going to come out of the season suspension ready to hit the ground running. The opening-night performance that saw Las Vegas go into San Diego Loyal SC’s inaugural home opener and hold the upper hand for much of the contest in a 1-1 draw at Torero Stadium gave a sense of optimism things might have clicked into place.
Now the club’s players are adapting to the way Yallop is looking to set up, giving them another potential new identity to work on in limited build-up time.
“Time is everything,” Yallop told Fox. “For me as a coach, you need a number of weeks to really get to know the players. Slowly but surely, we’re getting there.
The good news for Yallop is his side will get the exact same task it faces in its season opener when it returns for its second game of the season with a trip to SD Loyal on Saturday night. If Lights FC puts up a similar performance than it did four-and-a-half months ago – and maybe even comes away with victory this time – then continued optimism certainly could be well founded.
If it falls short, however, Las Vegas would be looking at a deficit of nine points on its group leader with 14 games to go in its season, and a far steeper mountain to climb to reach the club’s aspirations.
Ivory... Beige... Bone... Albion...
— FC Tulsa (@FCTulsa) July 24, 2020
Get the kit fit for a Prince: https://t.co/jU83w1PcAQ#ForTulsa pic.twitter.com/4E7Rxkjl4P
Where you go, we'll follow.
— New Mexico United (@NewMexicoUTD) July 24, 2020
As the team traveled to El Paso today, dozens of supporters lined the overpasses above I-25 to cheer on our boys in black & yellow. There's truly no supporters like ours.
*more pics down the thread! #somosunidos #bestfans #blackandyellow pic.twitter.com/JTj7HPCPup
We March As One#HammerDown | #BHMvTBR pic.twitter.com/W1gcrclx2b
— Birmingham Legion FC (@bhmlegion) July 24, 2020
- New Mexico United came out on top of another classic contest against El Paso Locomotive FC on Friday night, holding off a late rally by the hosts in a 2-1 victory. New Mexico remains undefeated in four league contests between the two sides all time, and has scored two goals each time it has visited Southwest University Park.
- The Charleston Battery claimed their first victory at new home Patriot's Point Soccer Complex - and boosted their position in Group H - with a 3-0 win against Atlanta United 2 on Friday night. Nicque Daley and Nico Rittemeyer were among the scorers as the Battery rebounded from a setback in their prior outing in solid fashion.
- Phoenix Rising FC was unimpressed with the condition of the pitch in its first meeting with Orange County SC earlier this month, which was in part a result of the lack of maintenance at Championship Soccer Stadium during California’s shelter-in-place order at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams meet again at the same venue on Saturday night.
- As the club returns to AutoZone Park for the first time since March, Memphis 901 FC will have a select number of fans in the stands and is aiming to provide an element of normalcy for local sports fans as they host the Charlotte Independence on Saturday night.
- U.S. Soccer legend Tim Howard was in the lineup for Memphis 901 FC’s opening two games of the 2020 season but got the night off last Saturday when Jimmy Hague started against Atlanta United 2. Now there’s a decision to be made as to who’ll be between the sticks when Memphis hosts the Charlotte Independence.
- The Tampa Bay Rowdies have 24 staff – including 18 players, four coaches, one trainer and one team administrator – across two buses that made the nine-hour journey to Birmingham, Ala. for one of this weekend’s big games on the schedule.
- The Rowdies will face a big test from Birmingham Legion FC, which has claimed victory in both of its contests so far this season to jump out to an early lead in Group G and will be looking for more on home turf at BBVA Field on Saturday night.
- As the club returns to AutoZone Park for the first time since March, Memphis 901 FC will have a select number of fans in the stands and is aiming to provide an element of normalcy for local sports fans as they host the Charlotte Independence on Saturday night.
- U.S. Soccer legend Tim Howard was in the lineup for Memphis 901 FC’s opening two games of the 2020 season but got the night off last Saturday when Jimmy Hague started against Atlanta United 2. Now there’s a decision to be made as to who’ll be between the sticks when Memphis hosts the Charlotte Independence.
Tag(s): San Antonio FC LA Galaxy II Orange County SC Phoenix Rising FC Rio Grande Valley FC Sacramento Republic FC Charleston Battery Charlotte Independence Louisville City FC New York Red Bulls II Pittsburgh Riverhounds Saint Louis FC Tampa Bay Rowdies Las Vegas Lights FC Birmingham Legion FC Atlanta United 2 Indy Eleven Memphis 901 FC El Paso Locomotive FC New Mexico United Hartford Athletic San Diego Loyal SC Sporting KC II The Morning Tea